Scooby's Puppy Days: Puppies in Peril!
by Fegerrific
Summary: When the gang stumbles upon a forgotten scrapbook, they begin a trip down memory lane. Nostalgically, the gang recalls the circumstances that brought them together, involving summer jobs, a pet store and a terrifying hound of horror!
1. Down Memory Lane

**(A/N: Absolutely everyone and his (pardon the pun) dog has a variation on how Scooby and the gang met. So I made my own, because I could.)**

"_It seems like we've had Scooby forever," remarked Daphne, pulling a scrapbook from the shelf and blowing off the dust. _

"_Do you remember the first day we saw him?" Velma asked. "That day at Grillo's Pet Store?"_

"I wonder what Ms. Grillo will have us do today," Fred mused. "I hope she'll have us looking after the puppies. I was reading in the _National Exaggerator _about how the Perilous Puppy People from Pluto are coming to take over the world by disguising themselves as innocent household pets!"

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Freddy, please! There are no such things as 'Puppy People from Pluto!' Besides. I'm sure we'll be working with the soft, fluffy kitties and tying their cute hair in little lavender bows."

"I've been most excited about engaging in the herpetological side of the pet shop," Velma chimed in from the back, to the confusion of the rest of the gang. "The reptiles…" she translated with pursed lips. "What about you, Shaggy?"

"Like, the break room!" Shaggy replied. "Like, you know Ms. Grillo makes the best cookies for us when we're off the clock."

The rest of the gang rolled their eyes and continued walking to the shop.

Arriving at Grillo's Pet Store, the gang was greeted by a terrifying sight! The front of the shop had been marred by graffiti! Red spray paint scrawled dire warning and threats all over the store's plate-glass window.

"Jinkies!" Velma shouted.

"Velma said jinkies!" Daphne exclaimed. "She must have found a clue already."

Velma shook her head. "No, Daphne. That 'jinkies' simply meant that I'm shocked. The 'jinkies' when I find a clue is usually much higher-pitched."

"…Thanks for…clearing that up?"

"We can debate about catchphrases later," Fred announced. "Ms. Grillo needs our help!"

Ms. Grillo, a plump woman in a blue _Grillo's Pet Store_ apron over a pink-and-orange flowered dress, dunked a stained sponge into a bucket of soapy water and scrubbed viciously at the _M _in the word _DOOM. _Her salt-and-pepper hair, usually tied in a bun, had come loose and was cascading down her back.

Ms. Grillo's assistant, Mack, a tall young man with black hair, aimed a hose at the word _BEWARE._ He wore a blue Grillo's Pet Store apron over his white T-shirt and black pants.

"What happened here?" Fred asked, jogging up to the scene as quickly as his little legs could carry him.

Ms. Grillo sighed, wiping the sweat off her brow. "Hi, kids. Thanks for coming. I'm really sorry you had to see this."

"It's okay, Ms. Grillo," Velma said. "How can we help?"

Ms. Grillo waved them to a stack of buckets and sponges used to bathe and groom the pets. "Just grab some supplies and get started, please. It shouldn't take too long when everyone helps."

"I can handle this, Ms. Grillo," Mack interjected. "Why don't you take the kids inside? I'll finish up out here."

"Are you sure?" Ms. Grillo asked. "I don't want you to get heat stroke."

Mack waved a hand dismissively. "I'll be fine. But these kids don't need to be out here – and neither do you." His tone left no room for arguments.

"Well, okay…" Ms. Grillo replied, still not convinced. "Take a break if you need to. Drink plenty of water." As Mack returned to the graffiti, Ms. Grillo ushered the gang inside.


	2. Restaurant Ruckus

"Like, what was that all about?" Shaggy asked once they were inside.

Ms. Grillo scowled. "Just some punk kid's idea of a prank, I guess. But you don't have to worry about that. I need you to give the new puppies a bath."

Soon, the air was filled with howling and whining puppies as the gang rubbed soap on their tiny fluffy bodies and dunked them in a tub of warm water.

An orange puppy squirmed in Velma's grip and waved its tiny paws in frustration. It made a cry like a bugle call before balling its paw up into a doggy fist and popping Velma on the nose! Velma cried out in surprise and let the go of the dog, sending it falling into the tub of water below.

As the gang continued to clean, a tiny brown puppy managed to escape from the soapy tub and began toddling over to a stack of dog food in the corner.

"Oh, no you don't," Fred admonished, grabbing the soapy ball of fur. "Thought you could sneak away, huh? Part of your sneaky plan to take plan to take over the world, Puppy Person from Pluto?!" The tiny puppy only whined.

Daphne moaned in annoyance, taking the puppy from Fred's grasp and returning it to the tub. "Freddy. Just scrub."

After a while, all the puppies were bathed, dried and safely back in their cages.

"Thanks again, kids," Ms. Grillo sighed. "I don't know what we'll do when you all go back to school. I'm sure Mack and I can manage…we always have, but…" The bell over the door rang as a slender man with brown hair slipped inside. He wore a pair of green slacks with a tan jacket and a red striped tie. "Hello, can I help you?"

The man bowed exaggeratedly low. "Mr. O'Greazy's the name. Restaurants are my game!"

Ms. Grillo frowned. "Um…okay?"

Mr. O'Greazy placed a slender arm around Ms. Grillo's shoulders. "I've got a business proposition for you, beautiful!"

"Business proposition?" echoed Ms. Grillo, confused.

"Just think of the possibilities!" the slender businessman raved, dashing around the pet shop. "Envision if you will: here there's a red counter with a menu offering all manner of greasy food served in your own paper bucket! Booths would line this wall here and here and in back," He flung open the door to the back room with a flourish. "A playplace for the kiddies!"

"Uh…Mr. O'Greazy…" Ms. Grillo began, but was cut off by the restaurateur.

"Of course, of course, what's in it for you? Well, miss, all you've got to do is sell me this little old place and then progress can begin!"

"Sell?" Ms. Grillo parroted. "I – I –"

"So excited, you're speechless, I see…" Mr. O'Greazy interrupted, pulling a contract from thin air. "Let's not waste any more breath than we have to, then. Sign on this dotted line and this place will be mine!"

"I'm not interested," Ms. Grillo said firmly.

An ugly scowl twisted across Mr. O'Greazy's face, but it vanished as quickly as it came. "Of course, Ms. Grillo," he replied silkily. "I understand completely." He reached into a cage marked _Scoobert_ and pulled out the goofy brown puppy that had escaped this morning. "These mangy little fleabags are just more important than progress…"

Scoobert growled at the man petting him before sinking his tiny teeth into the man's flesh. Mr. O'Greazy let out a yelp and tossed the puppy back into the cage before beating a hasty retreat to the door. "Mark my words, Grillo. You're going to pay for this." As the door slammed shut, Scoobert blew a tiny raspberry at Mr. O'Greazy's retreating form.

Ms. Grillo collapsed against the front counter. "What a day," she sighed. "Is it closing time yet?"

"Afraid not, Ms. Grillo," Fred replied. "Anything we can do to help?"

Ms. Grillo started, as though she had forgotten that the gang was there. "Sorry you kids had to see that."

The bell over the door sounded once more as Mack dashed inside. "What's going on in here? Who was that?"

With a grimace, Ms. Grillo pushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen in her face. "Just some weirdo who wants to buy my shop and put up a chain of restaurants instead. I told him no, of course."

Mack sighed. "I'm glad you're all right. He sounded mad! Mad enough to…" he stopped suddenly, as though afraid to finish his sentence.

"It's fine, Mack," Ms. Grillo soothed. "Did you finish up out there?"

Mack pointed to the back room. "Just came in to get some more shampoo and to see if everything was okay with that customer."

As Mack strode towards the back room, Velma gasped. "Jinkies! Mack, you're tracking in red paint!"

Mack looked at the bottom of his shoe. "Aw, man. Must've stepped in it outside. I'll clean it up, Ms. Grillo, I promise."

"You've done enough for the day, Mack," interjected Ms. Grillo. "Go home. Take the rest of the day off."

"I can't do that!" he exclaimed, aghast. "I'm not leaving you here alone, not after two attacks on this store!"

Ms. Grillo pursed her lips. "Well, if you're sure…just take an extra-long lunch then…and I'll do the same. Kids, what do you say I treat you to some ice cream? You too, Mack. We've earned it."

"Like, I'm all for free food!" Shaggy exclaimed, licking his lips.

"Yes," Velma interjected. "I would enjoy a good frozen dairy confection as well."

"I'm fine, Ms. Grillo," said Mack. "I don't want to intrude. I'll grab something on my own."

After a few double-decker sundaes at the local ice cream parlor, Ms. Grillo and the gang headed back to the pet store. But as they approached the storefront, a horrifying sight greeted them!


	3. The Menace of the Monstrous Mutt

The front door had been shattered, sending shards of glass spilling onto the front sidewalk! Panicked yelps and whines sounded from inside, as though the pets inside were being injured.

"Come on, gang!" Fred commanded, dashing through the remains of the door while Ms. Grillo helplessly commanded them to stop.

Inside the pet shop was even worse. Cages had been overturned and all the pets had been set free! Mewling kittens and yelping puppies meandered around in the confusion, while colorful cockatoos fluttered around the room. Someone…or something had scrawled a threatening message on the back wall behind the counter: _**BEWARE THE MONSTROUS MUTT!**_

"Who could have done this?" Shaggy moaned, chasing after an agile grey kitten leaping around the room.

"We have to get all these critters back in their cages!" Fred announced, leaping for (and missing) a flighty bird in the corner.

While the kids rounded up the escaped pets, Mack and Ms. Grillo entered the pet store and began helping as well. At last, all the pets were safely back in their cages.

"Wait, there's one missing," Shaggy said, eyeing the cage marked _Scoobert_.

"I think I know where he is," Mack remarked, going into the back room and emerging with the whining brown puppy. "Never misses a chance to get into the food, that one."

Ms. Grillo, meanwhile, had collapsed into a chair in the corner. "Who hates me this badly?" she moaned, rocking back and forth. "If this keeps up, I'll have to close up shop."

"Did someone say close up?" Mr. O'Greazy had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. "I must say, Ms. Grillo, this redecorating you've done is a little…unorthodox…but I guess it won't matter when I tear this old wreck down."

Mack's eyes narrowed. "Get out." Mr. O'Greazy's smile faltered slightly as Mack took a threatening step towards him. "I said get out. We're not going to sell. And especially not to the likes of you." With a loud gulp, Mr. O'Greazy turned and raced out of the store before Mack had the presence of mind to set the guard dogs after him.

While Mack chased away Mr. O'Greazy, the rest of the gang set about comforting Ms. Grillo or cleaning up the pet shop. By the end of the day, Ms. Grillo was back in high spirits and the shop was clean.


	4. The Night of the Devil Dog

"So, like, what are we doing at the pet shop in, like, the middle of the night?" Shaggy whispered over the whistling of the wind through the trees.

"We're going to see who – or what – has been terrorizing Ms. Grillo," Fred replied, twisting the key (he'd swiped it from a hook by the back door) in the lock.

"So, where do we start?" Velma whispered as the gang entered the pet shop.

"Just anything unusual…or scary…"

Daphne suddenly screeched like an angry banshee. "What happened, Daphne?!"

"There's fake fur all over me!" she gurgled in disgust. "JENKINS!"

A tall man in a crisp suit appeared almost out of nowhere. "Yes, Miss Blake?"

"Clean this up for me," Daphne replied, holding out her pink jacket at arm's length. Jenkins bowed lower than was humanly possible and took the jacket, brushing all the fur off it and into a dustpan. "That will be all, Jenkins."

"Yes, Miss Blake." Jenkins emptied the dustpan into the trashcan before vanishing into thin air.

Velma strode over to the trashcan and pulled out the mass of fake fur. "Jinkies. What kind of pet store would have fake fur? And why?"

Shaggy pointed a shaking finger at a dark shape in the corner. "Why don't you ask…HIM?!"

With a vicious snarl, a massive wolf-like creature burst from the shadows and leaped towards the gang! The beast snarled at the gang before sending them on a harrowing chase through the pet shop.

**(Feel free to sing this as off-key as possible to any tune you wish. Author not responsible for any odd stares you may receive. )**

_**Beware the howling**_

_**Of this monstrous mutt.**_

_**Hear his bark**_

_**And you'd better duck!**_

_**Beware the demonic dog!**_

_**Beware the demonic dog!**_

_**He's a haunted hound**_

_**With vicious jaws!**_

_**He'll disembowel**_

_**You with his claws!**_

_**Beware the demonic dog! **_

_**Beware the demonic dog!**_

Once the monster had finished chasing them, the gang regrouped inside the pet store's back room. "Jinkies, gang," Velma announced. "I think I've got this mystery just about figured out."

"Then let's set a trap for this devil dog," Fred finished. "We can use these dog grooming supplies to make sure this monstrous mutt's scheme is all wet."

As Velma and Daphne set up the trap, Fred coached Shaggy on how to lead the monster into the open. "Okay, Shaggy, what I need you to do is pretend like you're taking care of the animals."

"Piece of cake!" Shaggy said smugly.

"So when the demon dog comes to attack you, run into the back room and step out of the way. We'll do the rest."

Shaggy gulped. "You mean the monster's going to come and attack me?"

"We'll be right there if anything goes wrong," Fred began, but Shaggy interrupted him.

"Like, can't I at least have a final meal? Like, I'm starved!"

Fred grimaced. "I guess…um…hmmm…"He searched the pet store quickly, but could only find a box of stale dog biscuits called Scooby Snax. "How about these cookies?"

Shaggy reluctantly bit into one. "Mmmm…not bad. Not bad at all."

"You'll get the rest of the box after we trap the monster," Fred promised, leading Shaggy into position.

"All right, everyone!" Shaggy announced loudly, lugging a bag of dog food into main room of the pet shop. "Midnight snack time!"

Scoobert perked up at the sound of the word 'snack' and began barking furiously. He was soon joined by a cacophonous chorus of barks and meows, which were suddenly silenced at the shadowy appearance of the demon dog! With a vicious snarl, the beast lunged at Shaggy!

With a shout of fright, Shaggy raced away as fast as his little legs could carry him.

As Shaggy ducked through the door to the back room, the demonic dog followed with a roar that turned to a shout of panic as it slipped on a trail of dog shampoo. The dog slid helplessly into a tub filled with sudsy water where Daphne and Velma were waiting with brushes and washcloths.

"Looks like this monstrous mutt is all washed up!" Shaggy announced.

"I called Ms. Grillo," Fred announced. "She's on her way now."

By the time Ms. Grillo arrived, the gang had managed to tie up the monstrous mutt, who stood dripping in a puddle of water, looking more like a drowned rat than a supernatural beast.

"I can't believe you kids did this!" Ms. Grillo gasped. "Sneaking out at night! Breaking and entering! But you're all safe – and you caught the creep responsible for vandalizing my shop!"

"So who is it, anyway?" asked Daphne.


	5. The Mystery is Revealed!

"Like, there's no contest," Shaggy interjected. "It has to be that slimy Mr. O'Greazy fellow!"

Velma shook her head. "It's not him, Shaggy."

Fred thought for a moment. "I know! It's RED HERRING!"

The rest of the gang exchanged puzzled glances. "Who?!"

"Red Herring," Fred replied simply. "That bully from down the street who always steals my lunch money."

"It's not him, either, Fred," said Velma, striding over to the captive beast. "The Monstrous Mutt is none other than…" She leaped onto a chair in order to reach the creature's mask, pulling it off with a flourish. "…Mack."

While the rest of the group recoiled in shock, Velma continued her explanation. "You see, I knew we weren't dealing with a real monster when I saw the fake fur Daphne found. My next clue was the red paint Mack tracked in from outside – it was still wet, proving that the graffiti had been done recently. But the clue that pulled it all together for me was when the monstrous mutt 'broke in' to the shop. The shards of glass were on the outside of the shop, proving that the door had been shattered from the inside."

"Mack, why?" Ms. Grillo asked sadly. "Why would you do this to me?"

Mack shuffled his feet, embarrassed. "I wanted to prove that you needed me. I was worried that those meddling kids were…were going to replace me. So I dug one of my old Halloween costumes out from the attic and caused a little trouble in disguise, then help you fix it so you'd finally see how indispensible I was."

Ms. Grillo placed a gentle hand on Mack's fur-covered shoulder as he continued his confession. "I guess I overreacted. No one was supposed to get hurt, honest. And I'm really, really sorry. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

A smile worked its way across Ms. Grillo's tired face. "I think that can be arranged."


	6. Meet Scooby!

"I can't believe Ms. Grillo's really letting up pick out a puppy!" Shaggy exclaimed happily.

"On my dime, of course," Mack murmured with a rueful smile.

"Well, gang, what do you think?" asked Fred, indicating a cage marked _Scrappy_ where an orange puppy shadowboxed in his cage, waving his tiny fists at his imaginary opponent.

Shaggy shrugged. "He's cute, I guess, but he lacks character."

Velma raised an eyebrow. "Lacks character? Do you think this dog is going to star in some multi-billion dollar franchise or something?"

"You never know…"

"Well, how about this one?" asked Fred, pointing to the cage marked _Scoobert_. "He's got character."

Scoobert, noticing people were paying attention to him, gamboled around cutely, but managed to knock over his water dish instead, soaking him to the bone.

"Like, maybe too much character," Shaggy remarked.

"Aw…" Velma picked up the puppy and snuggled him close to her. "I think he's wonderful," she cooed.

The ever-playful Scoobert took this opportunity to shake the water off himself, soaking the gang in the process!

"_But we took him anyway," Fred laughed, looking up from the scrapbook. _

"_We had to," Velma replied. "After all, there's no other dog in the world like Scooby-Doo!"_


End file.
